My heart draws a dream
by Mimi Uesegi
Summary: mean-spirited bartender falls in love with an astronomer with big dreams - all thanks to a funeral. Chronicles of Riddick AU that was originally written for a challenge on Livejournal.
1. Chapter 1  The Funeral

**Part I – The Funeral**

"_If something ever happens to me, Riddick, I want you to be there for Cylus. No, let me finish. I want you to be the one he goes to when he's hurt or needs something. You know how my family treats him and you know that if I wasn't around that they would try to commit him or something. You have to promise me, Riddick. You just have to."_

"_Okay, Jack, you know I'll be there for him. Anything for you, Jack…. Anything."_

It all started on a cold Saturday morning in mid-March when I attended my friend Kyra's funeral. I couldn't believe that my friend Kyra was dead. Apparently she was driving down the street she lived on the night it we had a storm warning and was hit head on by a drunk driver. As I stand here staring at her coffin, I realize that I never really got to know her like I should have. She was one of the people that I considered a friend. Hell, if you really get down to it, she was one of the only people I considered to be one of my friends. I look around at the other people there and I noticed her brother, Cylus, who is by no means shy about his emotions apparently, sobbing his heart out. I had never seen a grown man cry the way he did and I don't think I ever will again. She had told me that her brother's form of autism kept him from making friends and having a social life. But, she also told me that his autism didn't stop him from being what he wanted to be in life. Cylus became an astrophysicist at the local university and he didn't let his autism stop him. No matter what the doctors or their family said, he never let them keep him from staring at the stars and following his dreams. Kyra was so proud of him for accomplishing the feat regardless of his disability. As I stared at Cylus, I noticed how much he looked like her. Their faces were shaped same, the same high cheekbones, and something about the way he was standing reminded me of her.

As I was staring at him, he turned and looked directly at me. My breath caught in my throat, I have never seen eyes as green as his ever in my entire life. He started walking towards me; it took him awhile to get to me because I was standing further away from everybody else. I don't particularly like people very much but this was my Jack and I'll be damned if I wasn't going to be at her funeral. Cylus stopped a few feet in front of me and gave me a sad smile.

"Are you Riddick? My sister's Riddick?" he asked me. His voice has this rich timber to it that sent chills running up and down my spine.

"Yeah, I'm him and you're Cylus, right?" I said. He gave me a slight, sad smile as he nodded.

"Yes, I am Cylus but Kyra always called me Vaako. Why did you call Kyra 'Jack'?" he asked. I knew it was hurting him talking to me about Jack but I think it's good to speak of your loved ones who have passed on. It keeps them alive in your soul.

"That's actually a funny story, Vaako. Would you like to hear it?" Riddick says with a chuckle and Cylus nods his head vehemently yes. "Well, Vaako, when I first opened my bar I used to let teenagers come in there before 10pm to play pool and such. Then one night, there was a fight in the back near the pool tables, I went back there to see if I had to bust some heads for starting crap in my bar. When I got back there, I see this skinny bald-headed runt on top of a guy at least twice his size on the floor. He, or what I thought I was a he, had a knife to the guy's neck and was yelling at him that if he ever touched him again that he was going to cut his balls off. I walked over grabbed the skinny runt and told the big dude he was banned and to get out. After all the commotion calmed down, I asked the runt who he was and he muttered something. All I heard was the word 'Jack' and I asked if that was his name. The runt just laughed and told me if that's what I heard then that was his name. I found out later that Jack had said that I didn't know jack shit about nothing and that's how I ended up calling Kyra 'Jack'."

Cylus busted out in a happy chuckle and I smiled. I'm glad I told him something happy about his sister. I knew that she wasn't really around him the way she wanted to because of his scheduling at the university. I know I need to be there for him because Jack wanted me to watch out for her brother. To protect him from those who would hurt him.

"That was a funny story, Riddick. Can you tell me more of them?" Cylus asked with a hopeful look on his face. I smiled at him and wrapped my arm around his shoulders. I turned to look at him and it was like my whole world just stopped at that very instant. There was something about the way he just fit like he was supposed to be there. I smiled down at him and chuckled.

"Well, let me tell you about the time me and Jack got drunk and went to Tijuana on a whim. It all started –"

… To be continued


	2. Chapter 2 – Tears in the Dark

Riddick instantly was no longer sleeping when he heard a strange noise, his eyes popped open as he sat up quickly in bed. He slid his hand under his pillow for the blade he normally kept there. He slid out of his bed to a low crouch on the floor. He sped across the hardwood floors swiftly and quietly, eyes quickly shifting to every inch of his well-known floorplan. He recognized the sound coming from the back porch, who or whatever it was, was sorely mistaken if they thought they were coming up in his house. Then the sound stopped and Riddick grew suspicious. He looked through all the windows in the kitchen but didn't see anything so he decided to open the back door. He slowly opened the back door more than halfway and craned his head out. That's when he saw what was making the noise on his porch, it was Cylus. He was sitting in the furthest corner of the porch with his knees pulled to his chest, his head resting on top of them and his arms wrapped around his legs. Riddick could see him shivering from where he was. He wondered how long he had been out there and why was he there.

"Cylus? Is that you, buddy?" Riddick said in a whispered gentle voice. Cylus's head lifted and Riddick could see the dried tear tracks on his face. Something in Riddick twisted when he saw the utter loss and sadness in those shimmering green eyes. Riddick walked over to Cylus and sat down next to him. "What's wrong, Cylus? Come on, buddy, tell me what's wrong."

A few long moments went by and then Cylus whispered, "I miss Kyra." His head dropped back onto his knees and Riddick heard a sob, it was quiet and he barely heard it but he knew a sob when he heard one.

Riddick reached out to Cylus, running his hand through his dark brown locks, and suddenly Cylus had his arms wrapped around his neck, his tears running down Riddick's chest. Riddick sighed and wrapped his arms around him, holding him while he sobbed. Cylus clutched at him as his sobs wracked his body.

"It's alright, Cylus, it's okay to miss her. I miss her too." He sat there for long minutes holding him in his arms, well after Cylus had stopped crying. "Are you ok, buddy?" he asked, Cylus shook his head no.

"Ok, I understand but can we go in the house, it is kinda cold out here." Cylus nodded and Riddick helped him up. Cylus moved stiffly as they shuffled into the house and Riddick wondered how long had he been out there, it was one in the morning when he had initially heard the noise. Cylus stood by him when he locked the back door and followed him as he walked through the house.

"Are you tired, Cylus? Do you want to –", Riddick stopped talking when he noticed that Cylus had fallen asleep standing up. He chuckled at this and walked over to him. He roused Cylus just enough to get him to lie down on the couch. He pulled off Cylus's boots and then pulled a quilt out of the chest behind the sofa and laid it on him. He smiled and then shuffled off to climb back into his own bed. 'Hopefully' he thought, 'Maybe things would look better in the morning.'

Riddick was jolted awake a second time by the feeling of the bed dip. He knew it was Cylus but he kept his eyes closed because he didn't want to scare him and once Cylus was settled, he slowly opened his eyes. Cylus was trembling and chewing on his thumbnail, He remembered Kyra telling him that Cylus only did that when he was scared and nervous.

"Cylus? He whispered and Cylus jumped. Riddick laid his hand on his shoulder and just slowly stroked his arm.

"Did you have a nightmare?" Cylus nodded and scooted closer to Riddick.

"Do you want to sleep in here with me, where it's safe?" Cylus nodded once again and scooted closer.

A gentle smile curved Riddick's mouth as his hand slowly slid to Cylus's back and pulled him closer. The moment their bodies were touching, Cylus sighed and completely relaxed into Riddick. Every time Riddick shifted away from him, he whimpered.

"It's okay, Cylus, I'm not going anywhere. I'm just trying to get comfortable." He whispered.

When Riddick had them settled, he noticed how Cylus fit into every nook and cranny of his body as if he was meant to lie in his arms. The way Cylus's nose was nuzzled against his neck, the feel of his breath as it eddied across his clavicle, how his body fit snugly against his own and even how their feet tangled together. He gave a soft chuckle and pulled Cylus closer, marveling at how his hand fit on the curve of Cylus's hip. 'Who knew', he thought as he slowly slid into a deep slumber, at peace for the first time in a long time.


	3. Chapter 3

OK since wants to be a bunch of assholes and try to censor everyone. I'll just remove all my stories. I'm sorry y'all but I will not tolerate someone censoring my work when their whole supposed motto is "Unleash your imagination". Well, the only thing they have unleashed is a backlash that will probably drop their traffic to next to nothing. But don't worry y'all You can always come visit me on livejournal under the name Chakkraa.

I want to give a big thank you to all my fans out there and new fans to come. I enjoyed my time here on ff . net but it's time for this bitch to get the fuck on.

Peace, Mimi


End file.
